MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russia is ready to assist with Syria’s reconstruction; the European Commission has begun drafting a plan to stop buying Russian nuclear fuel; and US tariffs are unlikely to provide a lifeline to the budget. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Media: Russia ready to assist with Syria’s reconstruction·
Russia supports Syria’s territorial integrity, and Moscow is ready to assist with the country's reconstruction, President Vladimir Putin said on January 28 during a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is currently visiting Moscow. The Russian leader called regional integration a crucial step in this direction. In turn, the Syrian president acknowledged Russia's role in stabilizing not only the situation in the country but also across the Middle East. The two heads of state praised the notable success of their bilateral relations, noting that trade turnover has grown by more than 4%.
Following al-Sharaa's October visit to Moscow, the two countries established a framework for a new cooperation format. The Russian president addressed key issues across a range of topics, including the humanitarian agenda, prospects for military-technical cooperation, political contacts, and the regional situation, Vladimir Akhmedov, a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Issues of the Modern East at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
Against this backdrop, practical military coordination has also stepped up in recent months. According to Izvestia's source, cooperation between the defense ministries continues. In mid-November, a large Russian delegation arrived in Damascus, and talks between the leadership of the two countries' defense ministries focused on enhancing cooperation and coordination mechanisms.
"During earlier negotiations, the Syrians requested increased security in the southern and central regions and the return of Russian S-300 and S-400 systems, which were dismantled in 2016, because the country's airspace remains open without reliable air defense," Vladimir Akhmedov added.
In turn, Russian Center for Middle East Studies President Murad Sadigzadeh told Vedomosti that al-Sharaa's visit to Moscow was partly prompted by recent events in northeast Syria. Russia has maintained contact with all sides of the fragmented Arab Republic through various channels, even during the Assad government. Russia also has traditionally had relatively friendly ties with various Kurdish forces in the region, he stressed.
The Russian-Syrian negotiations are an indication of the gradual recovery of Russia's lost positions in Syria after Bashar Assad's overthrow, Andrey Zeltyn, senior lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies at the Russian National Research University Higher School of Economics, pointed out. The restoration of trade and economic ties between the two countries is a positive sign, despite the interest of the US and Europe in the region, the expert said. "However, this process should be viewed with caution. The situation in Syria is constantly changing. The withdrawal of Russian military forces from Qamishli, on the contrary, may signal a decline in Moscow's role. Nevertheless, al-Sharaa's visit to Moscow has undoubtedly had a positive impact on bilateral relations," he emphasized.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Who will suffer more if EU refuses nuclear fuel from Russia?
The European Commission has started drafting a plan to stop buying Russian nuclear fuel, but that doesn't mean it will be adopted this year. Thirty-one countries worldwide are involved in nuclear energy, but only a few, including Russia, have achieved a high level of development in this area.
Vladimir Chernov, an analyst at Freedom Finance Global, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that gas can be replaced by alternative suppliers, albeit at a higher price. However, nuclear energy does not work that way. There are about 20 Soviet-and Russian-designed VVER reactors in the EU. These are located in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, and Bulgaria. They were originally designed for Russian TVEL fuel and Rosatom services. Alternatives only exist on paper. There is no stable, mass-produced replacement so far, the expert emphasized. In theory, the US and France could partially replace Russia in the European nuclear fuel market. South Korea may also participate in this process to a degree. However, their production capacities are limited.
Uranium enrichment is insufficiently developed in the EU itself, Chernov explained. A significant part of the supply chain is still tied to Russian or Soviet-era technologies. A sharp refusal would mean either increased dependence on the US or the risk of disruptions at nuclear power plants. This is a particularly sensitive issue for Europe. Nuclear power provides nearly 25% of the EU's electricity; in some countries, such as France and Slovakia, nuclear power accounts for over 50% of power generation.
Therefore, the consequences for the EU will primarily be related to prices and technology, Chernov noted. The cost of fuel will increase. There will be costs for adapting reactors. The risks of emergency shutdowns during the transition phase will grow. Rising costs will lead to higher electricity prices.
In turn, energy expert Kirill Rodionov stressed that restrictions on nuclear fuel exports would be among the most unpleasant and painful for the Russian nuclear industry. It has many segments: the construction of nuclear power plants, the operation of existing facilities, the production of turnkey nuclear reactors, and so on. Among all these segments, nuclear fuel production is the most profitable. Furthermore, the nuclear fuel sector essentially subsidizes the other segments of the Russian nuclear industry.
Izvestia: Will Trump's tariff revenues cover US national debt of $2 trillion?
US tariffs are unlikely to provide a lifeline to the budget. President Donald Trump assures that tariffs have already brought in $600 billion to the treasury. However, in light of the rapidly growing public debt, this sum seems insignificant: during his first year in office, the country's liabilities increased by over $2.3 trillion, setting a new record. Consequently, the total US debt has grown to exceed $38.6 trillion. For comparison, Russia's debt is 86 times smaller at 34.4 trillion rubles.
According to the US Treasury, tariffs brought in about $200 billion to the budget in 2025, economist and financial market expert Olga Gogaladze recalled in a comment to Izvestia. These revenues cover only 10-12% of the increase in public debt, Igor Rastorguev, chief analyst at AMarkets, noted. Assuming borrowing stops rising, it would take the US about eight years to close the gap solely through tariffs. However, this is largely impossible in practice.
The funds received from tariffs are not only intended for debt servicing. The US administration has repeatedly stated its plans to allocate these revenues to other purposes, including payments to citizens and military spending. Thus, tariffs cannot be viewed solely as a tool for reducing debt: they are only a temporary source of revenue that does not stop the growth of borrowing, but only partially eases the situation, Sofya Glavina, associate professor at the Russian University of People's Friendship's Faculty of Economics, pointed out.
By the end of January, markets began selling off the dollar rapidly. This is directly linked to Trump's threats to impose punitive tariffs on eight European countries for disagreeing with his plans for Greenland. These statements sparked panic among investors and an outflow of capital from US assets because they perceived this as an escalation of the trade war with key allies, Gogaladze stressed.
The weakening of the dollar directly impacts US consumers because imported goods, including everyday items, are becoming more expensive. For the global economy, in which the dollar remains the main reserve currency, such sharp fluctuations cause instability in global financial markets and raise the cost of servicing debt for countries with dollar-denominated debt, the expert added.
Vedomosti: Why UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China being praised as ‘historic’
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in China on January 28 for a four-day official visit, the first of its kind since 2018. He will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and National People's Congress’ Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji. Starmer is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai before traveling to Japan.
After the Labor Party came to power in the UK, Beijing and London effectively resumed cooperation, Sergey Tsyplakov, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Chinese Socio-Economic Studies Center, recalled in a comment to Vedomosti. And Starmer's visit can certainly be called historic, he noted, as it is the first such trip in eight years. According to the expert, China will try to bolster relations with London, as establishing good relations with "old Europe," including the UK, is a strategically important task for the Chinese side. This is also important for the UK, given the uncertainty in its relations with the US. Britain and China have a large volume of mutual trade, in which Beijing has a consistently positive balance, Tsyplakov noted. As for the potential reaction of the US, Washington will undoubtedly closely watch Starmer’s visit, who is "a very cautious man." However, a sharp reaction from the Trump administration in the form of political statements cannot be ruled out, Tsyplakov emphasized.
Starmer’s visit to China is more of a political one, and it's unlikely to lead to any major business deals right now, Alexander Lomanov, head of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences' World Economy and International Relations Institute, stressed. Currently, there are no major joint projects between China and the UK. However, Beijing is interested in high technology and foreign participation in upgrading its old economic sectors. At the same time, participation in these sectors is largely unacceptable for Europe due to security concerns and fears that such products from China will flood its markets, Lomanov said.
Despite the large UK delegation, Starmer's visit is more symbolic than substantive, Sergey Shein, a research fellow at the Center for Advanced European and International Studies at the Russian National Research University Higher School of Economics, pointed out. According to him, one should not have too high expectations from the visit, and it will not open a new chapter in relations between Beijing and London. At the same time, the parties' interest in cooperation is evident: the UK needs Chinese markets and investments, the expert recalled. Trump is not currently interested in undermining special relations with Britain, although an outburst of anger with the threat of new tariffs may still occur, Shein noted.
Kommersant: Russian refineries prepare to resume gasoline exports in February
Major Russian refineries are preparing to resume gasoline exports in February. Total exports in February and March are estimated to be between 700,000 and 900,000 tons per month. Expectations that the embargo will be lifted have already been reflected in stock market prices, which have begun to edge higher.
Currently, gasoline exports are prohibited for all market participants until the end of February, and only refineries are permitted to export diesel fuel. These restrictions were introduced in September 2025 amid record exchange prices and the risk of fuel shortages in some regions. However, the embargo does not apply to supplies under intergovernmental agreements. On Tuesday, a source told Kommersant that the Energy Ministry had submitted a resolution to remove the ban on gasoline exports from February.
Before the ban was introduced, Russia's average monthly gasoline export volume was about 850,000 tons, the OMT-Consult analytical company’s calculations show. Experts believe that, assuming stable refinery operations and no logistical problems, shipments could reach 800,000-900,000 tons per month in February-March. However, Kirill Bakhtin, head of the Russian equity analytics center at BCS, estimates shipments at 700,000-800,000 tons per month, noting that February and March are periods of seasonally low demand.
Russian refineries have the potential to export light petroleum products, and the economic appeal of exports is very high, Maxim Malkov, partner at Kept and head of the oil and gas sector services practice, emphasized.
However, the decision to lift the ban seems somewhat risky, as the gasoline market balance does not have much reserve, Sergey Frolov, managing partner at NEFT Research, pointed out.
Nevertheless, according to him, temporary permission for foreign supplies during a period of low demand does not pose a significant overall risk, and refineries will be able to boost profitability by utilizing spare capacity and selling at higher prices.
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